You are on page 1of 2

Climate Change

Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time. Receding forests, changing rainfall patterns and rising sea levels will exacerbate existing economic, political and humanitarian stresses and affect human development in all parts of the world. For example, it is estimated that up to 600 million more people in Africa could face malnutrition as agricultural systems break down due to climate change impacts. An additional 1.8 billion people could face water shortages, especially in Asia. If these forecasts are realized, decades of effort to eradicate poverty around the world would be undermined and the worlds progress towards the Millennium Development Goals would be compromised. Fortunately, increasing awareness about climate change provides the impetus to urgently push for a better, cleaner and more sustainable world. Countries have an opportunity to transform their economies and grow in a different way so that climate and development planning are integrated, and policies and actions lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduce vulnerability to climate shocks, and deliver poverty reduction gains. policies and planning, so that projects that support development such as increased access to water, sanitation, food, and energy can better withstand the effects of climate change. 2. UNDP helps countries build more resilient societies. By putting climate change adaptation at the heart of poverty reduction efforts, with proper attention paid to the needs of more vulnerable groups like women and indigenous peoples, UNDP helps to ensure that climate actions are flexible and resilient enough to meet climate challenges now and in the future. At the same time, UNDP strives to reduce peoples exposure to climate-related disasters and, when they do hit, to limit the impact on peoples lives. 3. UNDP strengthens the capacity of countries to access, manage and account for climate finance. UNDP works with countries to access new and innovative sources of climate finance and help countries leverage limited sources of public finance to catalyze larger sources of climate capital. UNDP helps ensure countries can put policies into action that will lead them towards a green, low-emission and climateresilient future. UNDP also works to build capacity to assist developing countries to engage in international negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

UNDPs comprehensive response


As the leading global organization in the fight against poverty, with a presence in 177 countries and territories, UNDP is responding on the front lines of climate change where it hits the worlds 2.6 billion poorest people the hardest. UNDP works with national, regional, and local planning bodies to help them respond effectively to climate change and promote low-emission, climate-resilient development. UNDP focuses on three areas: 1. UNDP connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP works with countries on their own solutions to global and national development and climate challenges. UNDP helps countries to integrate climate into development

Strengthening institutions and capacity


In Zambia, UNDP helped the government establish a Climate Change Facilitation Unit under the Ministry of Environment to coordinate all climate change activities including preparations and positioning for the international climate change negotiations. Through training on climate change investment and financial flows and skills-building workshops, UNDP increased the capacity of St. Lucia to coordinate its Ministerial views, participate in the negotiations and assess what they need to tackle climate change in the energy, coastal zones and water sectors.

Tackling poverty y, protecting the plane et


Fuel-e efficient smok keless stoves in 55 poor villages on the edge of a forest reserve in Pakistan have e reduced tr reecutting g and impro oved indoor air a quality, in n a project with w initial support from m the GEF Sm mall Grants Programme P a and d up by UNDP P GEF and other partners. Families F now buy b scaled 50 per rcent less woo od than before, resulting in saved incom me, reduce ed health risk ks, and reduce ed deforestati ion. UNDP is also a workin ng with the Government G of Nepal to promote mic crohydropower system ms in remote e mountain areas, a improv ving people es lives in a range of way ys for exam mple, by allow wing oppor rtunities to pursue al lternate inc come-generat ting activities such as sewing or knitting k at tim mes that wo ould otherw wise not have e been availab ble. The forest f sector r is respons sible for clo ose to 17% of greenh house gas em missions worldwide. As a l leading mem mber of th he UN-REDD D Programm me, UNDP is support ting develo oping count tries prepare e for a RED DD+ (Reduc cing Emissions from D Deforestation n and Forest Degradat tion ation and sustainable s m management including conserva of s to enhance forest carbo on stocks) me echanism, whose forests expect ted financial flows aime ed at providin ng incentives s to keep forests f standi ing could re educe not on nly forest carb bon emissions but also poverty. UND DP supports the developm ment of nat tional REDD D+ strategies s in 13 coun ntries, provid ding guidan nce and expertise on engagement e of indigenous people es and o other forest t-dependent communit ties, transp parent and e equitable management of REDD+ fun nds, social safeguards, and good go overnance fo or REDD+. UN NDP acilitates Sout th-South know wledge excha anges on RED DD+ also fa so tha at, for example, Viet Nam m, Mexico and d Ecuador le earn first-ha and from each others rece ent experienc ces. The MDG M Carbon Facility is a one-stop shop for proj ject assessment to m mobilize priv vate sector financing for oping countries through the t global ca arbon market t. In develo Hondu uras, throug gh the MDG G Carbon Fa acility, UNDP P is implem menting a p project with a cooperativ ve of Hondu uran farmer rs to capture e biogas from m agricultura al effluents that t would d otherwise b be released in nto the atmo osphere and use this to o generate electricity as well w as to sub bstitute for fo ossil fuels.

sec ctoral perspec ctives to a ho olistic approac ch that incorp porates clim mate change mitigation and adaptatio on into enviro onment and d sustainable e developmen nt goals and planning pro ocesses. Through the promotion of Green, Low- Emission, ClimateResilient Develo opment Strategies (LECRD DS), UNDP em mbraces s how climate e change responses an approach that recognizes e closely int tertwined with w developm ment choice es and are act tions involv ving multiple sectors, stakeholders s, and eco osystems. Gr reen LECRDS S will also e enable countries to mo obilize and employ e divers se financing and policy options o req quired for low w-emission an nd climate-res silient develop pment.

Cli imate cha ange protection

mitig gation

and d

ozone

layer

UN NDP is assistin ng 45 countrie es, including Brazil, China a, India and d Mexico to implement national n strat tegies to pha ase out HC CFCs, industrial gases cont trolled by the e Montreal Protocol (MP). HCFCs are e used in critical sectors such as refrige eration d air conditio oning. UNDP brings policy y advice, technology and transfer, techni ical and fina ancial assistan nce from the MPs ultilateral Fun nd and helps countries to access other r funds Mu to maximize th he climate be enefits of HC CFCs phase-ou ut. The NDP MP programme fosters public-priv vate partnerships to UN ach hieve marke et transforma ation toward ds climate friendly f tec chnologies and a products, resulting in significant cobenefits including the reduction of appro oximately 3.7 million ton nnes of CO2-e eq/year.

Te echnology Needs N Asses ssments (TN NA)


The practical H Handbook for r Conducting g Technology Needs sessment for Climate (TN NA Handbook k) is an on-lin ne tool Ass for r enhancing the famili iarity of de ecision mak kers in developing cou untries with technologies t for mitigatio on and d is supported d by the dec cision tool TN NAssess adaptation and r selecting appropriate a technologies s. Partners in the for development of o these tools include the UNEP Risoe Centre; C the e Renewable e Energy and d Energy Eff ficiency Partn nership (RE EEEP); the Netherlands N Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ag griculture and d Innovation; ; the Energy research Centre of the e Netherland ds (ECN); and the Join nt Implemen ntation Ne etwork (JIN, th he Netherland ds).

Fo or further information contact:


Veerle Vandewe eerd rector, Environment & Energy Group Dir Un nited Nations Development Programme e Veerle.Vandewe eerd@undp.org ww ww.undp.org/ /climatechang ge No ovember 2011 1

Prom moting Gre een, Low-E Emission and a Clima ateResili ient Development Stra ategies
Increm mental reductions in gree enhouse gas s emissions and a climate vulnerabilit ties are impo ortant steps. However, lo ongterm climate chan nge management require es a shift fr rom

You might also like